We heard that you recently received a new wine qualification. Could you tell us about it? Recently, I undertook the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET London) Level 3 Award in Wines, which is an advanced level qualification for wine professionals. After a challenging 84 hours of advanced level study and a 2.5 hour final exam, including written and blind…
Our lives are incredibly busy and the simple social pleasure of dining together usually takes a low priority. In fact, statistics show that 1/3 of Canadians almost never eat together. Yet, inherently, I’ve always felt that dining together was important due to my Irish heritage. My travels to Europe have reinforced that notion. Europeans make it a priority to have…
We have world class wines in the Niagara region that is just under 2 hours away. So, I visited a few of the smaller boutique wineries in the Beamsville area to check out what’s new. The first stop was Calamus Estate Winery. It is unique since it is the only winery that has an observatory on the top floor. It…
It’s summer (finally) and we’re in the “wine on the patio season”. I have been polling people at my tasting events and it does seem people’s thoughts about wine change in the summer. Even the most devoted red wine lovers start favouring refreshing Whites and Roses. The lighter Reds that can be lightly chilled gain favour as well. This begs…
I would call Spain one of the world’s Wine Superpowers. It has more land area under vine than any other country, including France. However, its drought prone summers reduce the grape yield making it fall to 3rd place in wine production after France and Italy. Still, that is no small number. According to Decanter Magazine, it produced around 42 million…
What wine country epitomizes “amour”? The answer, of course, is France. Although the French did not invent wine or love for that matter, they do feel they perfected both! I won’t delve into whether they perfected love, but they have come close to that goal in wine. Blessed with remarkable terroir (combination of climate, soil, and terrain) for viticulture that…
Italy has a fascinating wine producing history. It began with the Etruscans and Greeks (they made wine in Sicily around 800 BC), but the better recorded history of winemaking began with the Romans in 8 BC. In fact, the Romans liked their wine so much that the Emperor had to issue a decree in 92 AD to destroy some vineyards…
For a versatile pour, nothing beats sparkling; it beautifully pairs with almost any food. The secret is its great acidity and lack of tannins. Acidity refreshes your palate and makes the next bite of food more enjoyable. That’s one reason sparkling is so good with rich and oily foods like smoked salmon or potato chips. Good acidity makes a great…
We have just finished harvest season and that got me thinking about the harvest and farming. Then I was struck with the thought that wine is really all about farming as well. Growing grapes is certainly farm work and this was driven home on a visit to 13th Street Winery in Niagara a few weeks ago for the “Vines to…
For this month’s column, we decided to visit 5 small local wineries that you usually do not find in the LCBO. We wanted to find out what their winemakers were drinking with the local harvest and have provided reviews on some of their wines, including their harvest favourites. These lovely wineries are all worth a day trip and you should…
Since it has been one of the most scorching summers in recent memory, I thought I would focus on some roses and white wines that are served chilled. However, for my die hard red fans, there are still a couple here for you to enjoy with the BBQ. Whites and roses can be dry and have good acidity (not to…
Summer usually calls for some lighter whites and roses for the patio along with some heavier reds and whites for the BBQ. It is definitely not the time to bring out your most expensive wines. Summer wines need to be casual since the outdoors does not help you enjoy your better wine’s subtle aromas. Your biggest enemies to enjoying your…